With the return of Mickleden Straddle after an absence of 5 years, we have now got our first scores in the 2025 fell race championships.

Just 6 Striders took on this tough but fantastic race – one of the best in the Peaks and certainly one of the best post race buffets – but already it looks like some titles will be keenly fought.

In the men’s senior category, Will Leaning takes a slender 6 point lead over Connor Brown (74 to 68).

In the MV40 category, Darrel Porter finished less than a minute ahead of Richard Carter. This equates to a tiny 0.4 point lead. With Michael Raynor just 10 points behind and plenty more runners expected to join in following future races, this is already shaping up to be a close title race.

Alice Taylor-Bennett was the sole female Strider, and starts her account with a solid 66 points to take an early advantage.

The next race is Doctor’s Gate on 23 Feb, followed by the first short race for 2025 – Lad’s Leap on 6 April. There are plenty of opportunities for less experienced fell runners to join in once we get into the shorter evening races in the spring and summer too. Remember you only need to do 5 races to qualify for prizes, so there is plenty of time yet!

The full list of races and links to details and entry is on the 2025 fell race champs page.

The full scores spreadsheet will be updated shortly.